Honors and Awards

The Linda D. Palmer Memorial Award in French was given to seniors Margaret Fylstra, Renee Mantua and Kyle Smith. Renee Mantua also received the American Association of Teachers of French Outstanding Senior in French Award. The Marguerite Prins French Award was bestowed upon Elizabeth Brichacek and Elizabeth Coen. Margaret Flystra was also awarded the Allan C. Kinney Memorial Award from the Economics and Business Administration department; Elizabeth Brichacek the Kathleen White '76 Memorial Award and the National Association of Sport and Physical Education Outstanding Major of the Year Award in exercise science from the Kinesiology department; Elizabeth Coen the Biblical Studies Award from the Religion department; Joshua Cummings the DeLong Senior Dance Award for Outstanding Outstanding Achievement in Dance; Holly Nestle the William and Mable Vanderbilt Sr. Family Award from the Kinesiology department; Thea Neal the James Dyke van Putten Political Science Prize; Danielle Revers the Verhey Award for Excellence in Scholarship; Anna West the Senior Sigma Xi Research Award in Psychology; Jennifer VanderMeer the John Shouten Award; and Annika Carlson the Political Science Department Book Award. The French Department is proud to see its hard working students recognized!

“Le Spectacle Français”

(Hollywood, watch out!)

2007 saw the third annual “spectacle français”, which involved over 60 students of French. Entertainment was the theme of the night as audience members packed the DeWitt Studio Theater for "Télé Varieté(s)". Professor Isabelle Chapuis-Alvarez orchestrated the line-up of charismatic skits, songs, dances, and even commercials for the third year in a row! A few of the highlights included a talent competition, "A la recherche de la Nouvelle Star", during which students showed off their singing or lip syncing skills, musical ability and dance moves. Popular American culture was taken overseas during a clip from an episode of Friends and a performance of the theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, both translated into French. Stélios C. Alvarez entertained with the sketch "Le Tour de France des accents", impeccably showcasing different accents from different regions in France while providing many laughs. Overall, the Spectacle was a grand succès!

The 2007 AATF Outstanding Senior French Award

Left to right above: Prof. Anne Larsen, Prof. Isabelle Chapuis-Alvarez, Renee Mantua, and Prof. Brigitte Hamon-Porter.

"As a French/Management major at Hope and a future law school hopeful, I took the opportunity to join Hope's program in Washington, DC. I anticipated that my language skills would not come in handy during my internship at Congressman Pete Hoekstra's office. For some of my experiences, that was the case. For others, I had made a huge mistake. At Hope, I was occasionally thrown into French politics. Arriving in Washington, DC, I felt that I understood French politics better than my own country's politics. This understanding did not go unappreciated. Having learned the basics of French politics, I was encouraged to learn more about American politics, and I consequently drew some major conclusions of their differences and similarities. My understanding of a foreign nation helped to enrich and strengthen the experience I had with America's legislative branch.

Overall, I think it is important to note that study in a foreign language does not mean you have to use the language all the time. What has been so important for me is my ability to understand the world on a global level and understand other cultures. While I am sure the language will come in handy from time to time, the French culture has already helped me in my educational pursuits more than I would have expected.”

Learning from Art

''Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde'' at the Art Institute of Chicago drew a crowd that included many of Hope's French students, as the department hosted a field trip to view the works of several French artists. Amy Speelman ('09) was among this group, and wrote the following reaction to what she learned.

Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939): Mécène de l'Avant-garde

The Napoleonic Legend Julie Meyers ('99), who is completing her PhD in French 19th century literature at the University of Chicago, returned to her alma mater to shed some light on the myths that have swirled around Napoleon Bonaparte for two centuries in a talk dubbed "Deflating the Legend: Michelet's Portrayal of Napoleon". Mike Bertrand ('10) found Meyers' "critical view... insightful and interesting", and summarized the presentation as follows: "Julie Meyers pointed out the absence of truth in many of the popular artistic renderings of Napoleon while simultaneously revealing a darker and arguably more truthful side to the Napoleonic persona. After an analysis of his influence on French society, she spoke on reasons why Jules Michelet's originally favorable opinion of Napoleon became scathing as time went on and particularly as Louis Napoleon, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, destroyed the republic created from the dream of the revolution." On the topic of the revolution, Evan Dawson ('10) found it noteworthy that, in Michelet's own words, "the last hero was not Napoleon, it was the revolution".

Tasting the Empire Students mouths watered as the wheels in their heads turned during a speech called "Tasting the Empire: Food at the Paris Colonial Exposition of 1931" by Lauren Hinkle Janes ('04), who is now pursuing a PhD in Modern European History at UCLA. Elizabeth Brichacek ('07) admitted, "I didn't realize that during this time period, European powers such as France created these elaborate expositions to display their influence and control throughout the world", and also remarked, "It is interesting to think of food as a means of connecting to another culture, but France used food during their exposition to convince the French people that colonization was actually a worthwhile endeavor". Lauren Eriks ('08) responded to the new information she learned by saying, "Overflowing displays of produce, cornucopias of mangoes and kiwis, or mock-ups of endless wheat fields: fruitfulness is a powerful subconscious, economic message. Add in an exotic flair- in the perfumes, décor, and Caribbean beauties- and some of the French visitors could no doubt be made to feel that they received goods through the workings of colonialism that could not be obtained through any other means".

Tout bon repas doit commencer par la faim!

Poem by Sarah Williams, ‘09, French/ Accounting/ Dance

Une femme se réveillait chaque matin de bonne heure
Et se promenait en essayant de trouver le bonheur.
Le long des rues elle marchait de ci de là
Et cherchait les ingrédients parfaits pour un bon repas.

Elle achetait des oeufs plus blancs que la neige
Et du lait frais d'une vache nommée Nadège.
Elle trouvait de la farine de première qualité,
Un peu de sel, un peu de sucre, quelle bonne idée!

Une fois chez elle, la femme a battu et emulsionné
Le mélange jaune pour qu’il soit prêt à déguster.
Le four était chaud et la pâte fine.
Si le ciel a une odeur, c’est celui de cette cuisine.

La première est tombée par terre – c’est terrible!
La seconde s’est collée au plafond – ce truc est impossible!
Puis, les crêpes volèrent comme de grands oiseaux.
Elles étaient rondes et blondes et c’était vraiment beau.
Maintenant pour la fin, la pièce de résistance
Et il faut ajouter beaucoup de chocolat, quelle chance!
Avec un peu de sucre et des petits morceaux de citron
Ou même avec de la confiture, ça sera toujours bon.

Dans les pays francophones, les repas sont des merveilles
Que ce soit le couscous ou les crêpes brillantes comme des soleils.
Ce qui est important c’est le temps et le soin apporté
Pour créer ces chefs-d'œuvre culinaires par tous appréciés.

Alors, célébrez avec votre famille et vos amis
Avec du bon pain, des sauces, et pourquoi pas un peu de riz?
Si vous savez apprécier chaque goût, c'est fantastique
Car vous allez adorer cette symphonie gastronomique!

La Photo

Poem by Rachel Maurer, ‘09, French Major

Cette photo me rappelle quelqu’un Pourtant, je n’ai jamais rencontré cet individu Son visage est hâlé et ses cheveux bruns Je ne sais pas ou je l’ai déjà vu Ses vêtements sont pour le moins différents Avec ces couleurs chatoyantes et ces motifs changeants Ses pieds sont nus et poussiéreux Il n’a pas de chaussures mais a pourtant l’air heureux Ses cheveux sont très noirs Et peignés d’une manière difficile à croire Sa culture est différente Et je ne la connais pas, ça c’est sûr J’imagine qu’il est étranger Et que je ne pourrai pas le comprendre Mais sa langue, pas besoin de l’apprendre Car il parle… français! Alors je remarque ses grands yeux Et son beau regard à la fois triste et sérieux Nous avons l’air si différent mais je viens de réaliser Que nous ne le sommes pas tant, car tous deux nous parlons français.

French Section News and Events

Isabelle Chapuis-Alvarez, Assistant Professor of French, organized and chaired the session on Topics in Literature titled "Écritures de soi de l'aube du XXème siècle à nos jours" ("Life Writings from the 20th Century until today") at the annual conference of the Michigan Academy of Arts, Science and Letters held at Ferris State University during which three students gave presentations. Senior Kyle Smith of Grand Rapids presented "Le récit de vie en images: le Photographe d'Emmanuel Guibert et Didier Lefèvre" ("An Autobiographical Account in Pictures: Le Photographe by Emmanuel Guibert and Didier Lefèvre"). Senior Elizabeth Coen of Deerfield, Ill., presented "Le processus du deuil dans Le Livre de ma mère d'Albert Cohen" ("The mourning process in Le Livre de ma mère by Albert Cohen"). Junior Stélios C. Alvarez of Grand Rapids presented "La lecture d'une autobiographie gagne-t-elle être complétée par celle d'une biographie ?: Les mots de Sartre et Sartre d'Annie Cohen-Solal" ("Is an Autobiography Complemented by a Biographical Study? 'Les Mots' by Sartre and 'Sartre' by Annie Cohen-Solal"). Isabelle Chapuis-Alvarez also made a presentation entitled "Liberté, Inégalité, Fraternité: état des lieux de la condition des femmes à l'aube du XXIème siècle en France" ("Freedom, Inequality, Fraternity: the women's situation in the 21st Century France") during the session on Culture and Pedagogy.

French Faculty Activity

Isabelle Chapuis-Alvarez presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters. She served as a member of the Marker Response Selection Conference for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC). While in France during summer vacation, she visited friends and family in the Loire Valley, where she had Sunday lunch with three generations of Native Assistants: former assistants Julie Ouvrard and Fiona Eraud and future assistant Sarah Menechau. She also visited Corsica, enjoyed “les soldes” and “the cafés” in Paris and visited new places with her children.

Brigitte Hamon-Porter presented in May a paper entitled «Identité plurielle dans Les eaux mortes du Mékong de Kim Lefèvre» at the Cincinnati Conference on Romance Languages and Literatures. She also wrote several book reviews and is working on an article on three Polynesian authors. She taught an online French 101 course in May, a challenging but rewarding experience.

Anne Larsen co-edited the Encyclopedia of Women in the Renaissance. Italy, France, and England (Santa Barbara, CA. and Oxford, 2007). She was elected to the executive counsel of the Sixteenth-Century Studies Society for a three year term and is the co-editor of Arts and Humanities for The Michigan Academician.

Where are the '06 Hope French Majors a Year Later?

Daniela Banu is pursuing her PhD in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Courtney Clum is currently attending the University of Michigan where she is getting her Masters Degree in Structural Engineering. For the summer she has a job at SmithGroup, an architectural engineering firm in Detroit.

Elise Edwards has a job with the State Department as a Foreign Service Office Management Specialist, where she provides administrative support for the office in the Embassy where she is assigned. This currently puts her in the Regional Security Office at the American Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Kathleen Ludewig is living in Chicago, working as an analyst for a consulting firm called Accenture and has become a member of the "Alliance Française" in Chicago.

Sarah Quesada Lubbers spent the last 8 months working for the French government as an English Assistant in a high school in very hot and exotic Cayenne in French Guiana. She then headed to Loja, Ecuador, up in the Andes mountains, to help out with English and dance in an elementary school.

Sarah Reese is attending graduate school for Physical Therapy at Grand Valley State University.

Kyle Williams spent September 2006 through May 2007 in Loja, Ecuador teaching math (in Spanish) to kindergarten through 5th grade students at the Centro Educativo Amauta. During that time, he lived with an Ecuadorian family, perfecting his Spanish, and truly experiencing modern Ecuadorian culture through conversation, cuisine, and travel.